Carlow clubs receive over €700,000 in sports grants

By Kieran Murphy
TWENTY-seven sports clubs across county Carlow have received sports capital grant funding totalling over €700,000 which will be used to improve and expand existing facilities.
Nationwide, there were over 2320 applications across 45 different sports for funding with €56 million euro divided up among the successful applicants.
The big winners in Carlow were Slaney Rovers AFC who received €75,000 while following closely behind were Kildavin-Clonegal GFC who received €65,000 for the refurbishment of their existing facilities.
Slaney Rovers secretary Anthony Byrne paid tribute to the club members.
“Gabriel Deering did most of the work along with Martin Timmons, who is a Graiguecullen man but who is living in Rathvilly now. It was a big club effort,” acknowledged Byrne.
Plans are being drawn up to develop six acres of land beside their existing facilities which will include drainage work and the installation of two new pitches.
“We also hope to have secure fencing all around. Down the road we hope to build new dressing rooms.”
The club is riding high on top of Division 1 of the Carlow & District League at the moment while last year the under-13s won the league. Their underage section caters for teams from under-8s up to under-14s.
Carlow Town Hurling Club received €42,500. Outgoing chairman Jimmy Barcoe was jubilant.
“We are going to do a big job renovating the dressing rooms and the nets behind the goals on both pitches need repairing.
“It has been a lot of hard work. I would like to thank Michael Meaney who helped us. Jonathan Culleton and Barry English did a lot of work on it. We had a good team on it, in fairness.”
Carlow Dragon Boat Club received €11,500. The club won gold and silver medals at the European Championships in France in July and the sport is becoming very popular.
“We are delighted,” said Mairead Maddock of the Carlow club. “We have had a couple of great years, we have worked hard, trained hard and won medals. We have taken on new members over the last few months as well. It will be a real boost to the club to get this money and move on to the next phase. We are going to buy a second boat.”
She said the club, which operates on the far side of the Barrow opposite Carlow Rowing Club, is still looking for new members.
“It is very easy. Just come along. We are out on the river winter and summer on a Saturday morning at 8.15am and a Sunday morning at 8.45am. If people come along we always give them a try-out.”